Two pledges in two days
Elon Musk and officials at Anthropic have each pledged to share ownership stakes in their companies with the broader public, according to NBC News. The commitments come as concerns grow about the economic and social effects of artificial intelligence.
Musk posted on X on Monday that next year he would give one SpaceX share to every kid in America, adding that it would be the first of many. NBC News reported that a SpaceX share is currently valued at about $150. With roughly 72 million Americans under 18, the gift would be worth about $10.8 billion at present, which NBC calculated as less than 2% of his net worth. Musk gave no further information and could not be reached for comment, the outlet said.
Anthropic's public benefit fund
Musk's post followed an announcement a day earlier from Anthropic officials, who said the company would commit 5% of its shares to a "public benefit fund" meant to address the "labor market impacts" of AI. In a statement, they said the fund could make charitable donations or direct money to "specific populations," and they stressed its "versatility." They added: "Given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed."
NBC News reported that Anthropic has been preparing for an initial public offering, which analysts say would value the company at more than $1 trillion. The company has also long encouraged charitable giving by employees by matching their donations. Musk replied to Anthropic on X, saying it should give shares "directly to the public."
Why AI's economic impact is under scrutiny
NBC News said evidence of AI's effect on work remains mixed so far. Even so, a central premise of the current AI investment boom is that the technology will make business processes far more efficient, including by reducing the returns to human labor. That has raised fears of worsening income inequality and of a "permanent underclass."
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has been among the most prominent voices sounding such warnings, predicting that 50% of all white-collar work could be eliminated by AI before the end of the decade, according to NBC News.
Public opinion reflects the unease. An Associated Press poll published last week found 64% of U.S. adults think AI is developing "too fast," and 8 in 10 said the government should prioritize protecting the country's workforce. A separate NBC News survey from last month found 70% of Americans are more worried than excited about AI, and a majority said they would oppose a data center being built in their neighborhood.
Other efforts and a note of caution
NBC News noted that labor's share of economic growth was already falling sharply before today's advanced AI models. The Trump administration has tried to narrow some of that gap by seeding financial accounts for children born starting in 2025 with $1,000. Other business figures have pledged more, including SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, who with her husband planned to give money to 2 million children in low-income areas, especially in Texas.
The outlet also pointed out that Musk has made many bold statements and then not followed through. Among the best known was his August 2018 announcement that he had "secured" funding to take Tesla private. That transaction never materialized and cost him the chairmanship of Tesla, NBC News reported.
